plate 309 · 2025 data

Apurímac went from no copper to a seventh of Peru's

Share of Peru's copper output by department, 2005 vs 2025, tonnes of fine copper. MINEM data via Peru's central bank.

The minerals behind the switch
  1. 1. Indonesia now mines two-thirds of the world's nickel
  2. 2. Kazakhstan mines more uranium than Canada and Namibia combined
  3. 3. Argentina mined 60% more lithium in just one year
  4. 4. The price of lithium fell 86% in three years
  5. 5. Indonesia climbed from ninth to second among cobalt miners
  6. 6. DR Congo tripled its copper mining in ten years
  7. 7. DR Congo passed Chile in refined copper
  8. 8. Zimbabwe climbed to fourth among the world's lithium miners
  9. 9. DR Congo mines three-quarters of the world's cobalt
  10. 10. Guinea overtook Australia as the world's biggest bauxite miner
  11. 11. Brazil mines 93% of the world's niobium
  12. 12. Africa now mines three-quarters of the world's manganese
  13. 13. Tanzania rose from no graphite to world's third-biggest miner
  14. 14. Apurímac went from no copper to a seventh of Peru's
14.8%

Apurímac's share of Peru's copper in 2025 (410,836 tonnes), from none in 2005.

38.0%

Ancash's share in 2005, the clear leader then; 14.6% in 2025, now one of four regions at 14.6–17.2%.

23%

Of Peru's extra copper since 2005 came from Apurímac, home of Las Bambas (first output December 2015): the supply behind the switch now rests on more regions.

Source: Peru Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), copper production by department, via BCRPData (Banco Central de Reserva del Perú), 2025
the numbers & method
Apurímac went from no copper to a seventh of Peru's. Source: Peru Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), copper production by department, via BCRPData (Banco Central de Reserva del Perú), 2025.
2005 (%)2025 (%)
Ancash38.014.6
Tacna18.68.8
Moquegua16.817.2
Cusco10.88.0
Arequipa9.314.9
Junín0.49.2
Apurímac0.014.8
Ica0.06.9

Claim types Fact · Interpretation

Monthly copper production in tonnes of fine content by department, published by MINEM and served by the Banco Central de Reserva del Perú (BCRPData API), read via the progrss vault (source bcrp-peru; GUIDELINES §4.11). Annual totals are progrss sums of the 12 months; department totals add up to Peru's total (1,009,898 t in 2005; 2,769,230 t in 2025). Shares are progrss calculations. 2025 tonnes: Moquegua 476,829; Arequipa 411,681; Apurímac 410,836; Ancash 405,647; Junín 253,697; Tacna 244,550; Cusco 221,092; Ica 190,669. 2005: Ancash 384,008; Tacna 188,082; Moquegua 169,530; Cusco 109,421; Arequipa 94,107; Junín 4,462; Apurímac and Ica none reported. Apurímac's first output was in December 2015 (6,667 t); Las Bambas is the mine there (context). Arequipa, Apurímac and Ancash are within 1.5% of each other in 2025 and the order changes month to month in 2026 (Apurímac second to fourth each month, January–June 2026), so the plate makes no 'first' claim. Apurímac's rise (+410,836 t) is 23% of Peru's +1,759,332 t increase 2005–2025. The eight departments shown made 94% of output in 2025; others (Pasco, Lima, Cajamarca, Huancavelica and smaller) are left off. Interpretation: takeaway 3's last clause.

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